


A Girl Is No One

by louisianaspell



Category: Turn (TV 2014), Turn Washington's Spies
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Female Reader, He's Just Misunderstood, Kind of a slow burn, Reader-Insert, non Canon, simcoe isn't that bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 11:12:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16852954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisianaspell/pseuds/louisianaspell
Summary: John Graves Simcoe becomes interested in a seemingly normal girl in Townsend’s tavern, he sets out to learn more about her before deciding on his next move.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive the GOT themed title, I thought it fit the story. This was originally posted on my tumblr (@louisianaspell), but with recent events I thought it was time to start posting my Turn fics here as well.

This had become a part of John’s nightly routine, sitting alone at a table tucked into a quiet corner of the Townsend’s tavern while slowly sipping his ale. John would sit there for a few hours watching the British officers interact, sometimes he would learn of ongoing missions or on especially lucky nights he would overhear someone scheming or learn a very useful piece of information. But there were nights he wouldn’t even pay attention to what was going on around him and just sit there and take in the scene, the ambient noise of the tavern relaxed him for some reason. Maybe it was because the atmosphere reminded him of the quiet days back in Setauket, before he was truly involved in all this fighting.

Maybe that was part of the reason he was drawn to you, the quiet and seemingly shy girl serving drinks to the patrons. He would watch you night after night as you tried to become part of the background. On most nights you were successful in going unnoticed, sometimes even John barely noticed you. On the nights where you were less successful at becoming invisible, there were always a few officers that would try their hand at flirting with you, but John never witnessed any man or officer win your affections.

Soon he was spending more time at the tavern trying to figure you out than anything else. He stopped listening to the officers gossip and stopped watching their comings and goings, there was just something about you he felt like he needed to figure out. He would constantly watch as you moved through the room like a ghost, invisible to most people, except for the few who were gifted enough to see the world and all of its mysteries.

As much as he didn’t completely trust or particularly like the man, he soon forced himself to ask Mr. Rivington about you in an attempt to find out any information about you. He waited for a night where he didn’t see you floating about the tavern to approach the older man.

“Oh, you mean our dear sweet [Y/N]? She is quite the enigma, isn’t she? I suppose I can see why you and the other officers enjoy her company, bit too timid for my taste. Although I must admit that even I don’t know much about her, you would think a man in my business would know all her dirty little secrets, but alas she is a tough nut to crack. Perhaps, maybe..oh yes, Robert! Join us for a moment.” The older man calls out to his business partner, Robert Townsend, beckoning him to John’s table. Mr. Rivington leans over and pulls a chair from nearby table and motions for Robert to sit with them.

“What can I help you gentlemen with?” The unamused Quaker asks as he sits down in between John and Mr. Rivington.

“It seems that Col. Simcoe is curious about our dear girl, [Y/N], and frankly I was must admit that I was a bit embarrassed to admit that I do not know anything about her.” Mr. Rivington states as he tries his best to get Robert to divulge any information he may have.

“She does a fine job with her duties and the patrons seems to like her. I’m not sure that I know much more than you do, Mr. Rivington. I’m sure she has her reasons to keep to herself. Perhaps, Col. Simcoe, instead of asking us for potential gossip about our employees, you could try talking to her yourself. Now, if that was all you gentlemen required, I have more important duties to see to.” Robert takes his leave and returns to his post behind the bar.

“I am sorry that we couldn’t be more helpful, Col. Simcoe. But I fear that our pious Quaker friend might be correct, you could just speak to her. From my limited interactions with her, she seems like a pleasant enough girl to speak with.” Rivington shrugs as he gets up from the table and returns to his usual routine of floating between the tables of the high ranking officers.

John is once again left to quietly sit alone at his table trying to figure out the best way to approach you. “Why should I approach her?” He thought to himself. Maybe his tried and true method of having his most trusted Queen’s Rangers follow you would work. He wasn’t looking for your entire life’s story, at least not yet, he just wanted to learn enough information that would help him figure out why he couldn’t stop thinking about you. “That’s what I’ll do,” He decided. John finished his ale and left the comfort of the tavern for the dark streets of the city as he headed back to his barracks to put together his plan.

The following morning, he pulled two of his most discreet Rangers aside and explained their mission. He watched their confused faces as he explained to them that they were going to follow you and report back with their findings.

“I’m sorry, sir. You want us to follow a barmaid?” One of them asked.

“She’s more than that. I just haven’t figured out what exactly.” John curtly replied, he knew having his men follow around a civilian woman seemed like a waste of time and resources, but he wanted to know as much as possible about her before he decided his next course of action. “So, will the two of you take this assignment? Or is following around a simple tavern girl too difficult for you?”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, if I’ve learned her routine correctly, she should be at Townsend’s tavern now.” John watches as his men leave, heading towards the tavern. He tries to go about his day, trying his best to push thoughts of you to the back of his mind.

John decided to abandon his nightly visit to Townsend’s for now, deciding it was better to give his men time to gather what, more than likely boring, information they were likely to get on someone like you. The instant he had the thought a voice popped into his mind, chastising him for ever thinking you could possibly be boring, because if it was as simple as being boring then John wouldn’t feel the need to have you followed and the persistent need to want to know everything about you. He spent his newly free nights trying to plan his next move while walking through the dark city streets. 

Each night for the next two weeks, his men would report back to John with their findings, or in this case, lack of findings. Every morning’s brief was a variation of the same thing, they always said you did nothing out of the ordinary, never talked to anyone who they would consider suspicious, and every morning their report was always the same. “She’s just a normal girl, there’s literally nothing there, sir.”

Finally, after hearing the same report each night, John decided it was time to return to the tavern, still unsure on what his next move would be. That night, he was greeted with the familiar scene of his usual table in the back corner sitting empty, Townsend standing behind the small bar pouring drinks and you floating around. He sat at his table slowly sipping drink after drink, watching you throughout the night, he felt the urge to ask you to sit with him each time you came over to his table and poured him another drink. But each time you were near him, he couldn’t find the words, he would simply nod in appreciation for the refill while he still tried to figure out why he seemed to be drawn to you. John had become lost in his thoughts that he never realized how late it had become until he looked around and noticed how empty the room had become.

He picked up his mug to chug the last bit of ale before leaving, when he finally set the cup on the table he was surprised to find you sitting across from him. John was taken back seeing you sitting at his table with your hands folded on the table in front of you. You locked eyes with John, your face giving him no hints of what kind of encounter he was in for. The two of you sat in silence for a moment before you finally spoke.

“Am I to pretend as if you did not have two of your men following me for the past fortnight?” There was no polite greetings or the shy flirting you occasionally did with the other officers,you cut right to the heart of the matter. Right to the one topic that John was not in anyway prepared to discuss with you.

John never would have imagined you would have been able to spot his men. He stares at you for a moment while he tries to regain his composure. “You have my sincerest apologies, Ms. [Y/N].”

“Is there a reason you had me followed?”

He thought for a moment, trying to put together an answer that wouldn’t scare you off, he had learned back in Setauket that his intensity could scare most people off. “I wanted to make sure you were safe. A young woman such as yourself should not be walking alone in the city at night.”

You smiled at him briefly, part of him hoping that you would believe him. “If you truly believed that, why didn’t you offer to walk me home? Who better to escort me home than the head of the Queen’s Rangers.”

“It would have been inappropriate. What would your parents think of you being alone with unmarried man, such as myself, at night?” John realized that not only had his men underestimated you, but as it turns out, so did he. This entire time, he thought you were this shy barmaid, but here you were, sitting in front of him and calmly cutting through his deceptions.

“I believe that if you had explained to them that you were only concerned about my safety, I doubt they would have had a problem with it, in fact I believe they would have been thrilled to see a man of your rank taking an interest in someone like me.” You reply as he sees you relax your posture just enough to make him feel a little more comfortable with this encounter.

“May I ask why you question my motives?”

“Because, Col. Simcoe, your men didn’t just make sure I made it home safely. They followed me as I went about my life. They followed me to the market, while I visited with friends. I would like to know why. Do you think me guilty of something?”

“Of course not.” John quickly responds

“Then why?”

“Before I answer, may I ask you a question?”

“I suppose it is only fair.”

“How did you know that my men were following you?”

“Your men are not as clever as they think they are.” You softly laugh and smile at John. “I have answered your question, now mine. Why did you have me followed?”

“I find you intriguing. I watch you every night, floating about, trying to make yourself invisible. But a woman such as yourself deserves to be noticed, you should be the center of attention. I asked Mr. Rivington and Mr. Townsend about you, but neither man truly knew anything about you. I believe that a part of me questioned whether or not you were real. I had my men follow you to find out anything they could about you.”

“And were you satisfied with their findings?” You ask as you leave forward, resting your chin on the heel of your left hand.

“No. Every night I received the same report ‘she’s a normal girl.’ I doubt a normal girl would have been able to figure out they were being followed or have the courage to confront me about it. I believe I now have more questions than answers.”

Before John is able to continue his thought, out of the corner of his eye John sees Townsend appear from a back room walking towards you. “[Y/N], Col. Simcoe? It is very late, why are you still here?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Townsend, we were just talking and must have lost track of time. All of my work is done, if you’d like I can lock up when I leave.” Your soft spoken demeanor quickly reappears when you speak to Townsend. John watches as Robert looks suspiciously at the two of you.

“I think it would be best if you head home, [Y/N]. It is late and I am sure your father is probably wondering where you are.” Robert nudged into your side. John saw the quiet man’s gaze turn ever so slightly into a veil of panic, but you kept your game face on.

“Of course, Mr. Townsend.” You stand up from your seat, you lock eyes with John “Col. Simcoe, would you care to escort me home? It much too late for me to walk home by myself. That is of course unless other arrangements were made.” You smile at him, and a slight chuckle passed his lips.

“It would be my honor, [Y/N].” John stood up and walked over to you, offering his arm to you, which you linked with yours.

“[Y/N]? Are you sure you want Col. Simcoe to escort you? I would be more than happy to escort you home.” Robert questioned you, ignoring John and his gaze on Robert.

You briefly look at John before turning your attention back to Robert, “I am confident that I will be in safe hands, Mr. Townsend, but thank you for your concern.” With your arm still linked with John’s, the three of you walk towards the door, you slightly curtsy as Robert bows his head to you and John as Robert holds the door open the two of you.

As the two of you make your way through the dark city streets, John looks down at you with a puzzled expression as he feels you hold onto his arm a little tighter than before. You were talking, but he wasn’t able to focus on what you were saying, he was lost deep in his thoughts. John wasn’t used to having someone, other than his family, react so warmly towards him. Considering how this encounter had started, this was the last thing John had expected. John thought once you had your answers you would run off, just like everyone else, but here you were.

He thought he was in love with Anna Strong back when he was in Setauket, but what he was currently feeling in this moment with you walking beside him, this felt stronger than whatever it was he felt for Anna. A part of him was hesitant to call it love, but the longer he was in your company the more he knew that’s what this was. All he could hope for was that you felt the same way and not reject him like Anna did.

The two of you stood in front of a fairly plain looking building. “Here we are.” You stated while sliding your arm away from John’s, the sudden lack of contact brought him crashing back down to earth. The soft light of the nearby lanterns allowed John to faintly see the small soft smile on your face as you took his hand in yours. “I hope this won’t be the last time you escort me home.”

“I will gladly walk you home as much as I possible can.” John lifts your hand up to his lips and softly kissed the back of your hand. As he let you go, he watched you walk through the front door of your house and give him a small wave goodbye before closing the door. He walked away from your house filled with the promise of tomorrow night and all the other nights he would be able to spend with you.

You walked into your home with a smile on your face. It had been a long time since a man made the butterflies in your stomach take flight, and you never thought that it would be John Graves Simcoe to make you feel like this.

“[Y/N]?” You heard your father calls out to you from the small family room. “Do you have any idea what time it is? You know you shouldn’t out by yourself at night. Lord only knows what could happen to you.”

“I’m sorry, father. I lost track of time at work, and I wasn’t alone. I was escorted home by a very kind gentleman.” You walk into the family room to see your father sitting in his armchair by the fire and your mother standing at the front window, clearly she had been watching you and John, but said nothing which was very unusual. Normally the sight of you with a man resulted in her either starting to plan for a wedding or giving you a list of reasons why he wasn’t a right match for you, but tonight she just stood at the window as if she was keeping watch.

“There’s someone here to see you.” She stated, still looking out the window. You felt your heart stop as out of the darkness of the hallway appeared the one person you thought you would never see again.

“Caleb?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploring the reader's connection to Caleb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was asked to do a 2nd chapter, this is where my mind went. I'm sorry. I'm not sure if there'll be a 3rd chapter, just because I'm not sure what would take place in it. If you're interested in a 3rd chapter, let me know since feedback is what drove me to write this chapter.

“Caleb?” You ask as he steps further out of the shadows towards you. You’re frozen in place, torn between wanting to take him into your arms or strangle him with your bare hands for what he put you through.

“What is he doing here?” You direct the question to your parents, completely ignoring the man that stands in front you.

“[Y/N], please I just need…” Caleb begins speaking.

“NO!” You shout, interrupting him. “You have absolutely no right to be here. Not what after you did.” You said as you watch your parents slowly make their way out of the room, your mother gives a light squeeze on your shoulder as she passes you.

“It’ll be okay, we’ll be upstairs.” She whispers to you before following your father.

“Please, [Y/N]. I just here to you talk, I promise. I’m worried about you.” He said, reaching out for you, but you pull your hand away from his.

“Oh, wonderful, a promise from Caleb Brewster. Shall I remind you of what happened the last time you promised me something?” You sarcastically ask him. You could feel all the anger and hurt you had buried over the last several years starting to claw their way to the surface, the longer you looked at him, the more intense those feelings became.

“I’m sorry for all of that, I am. I wish I could make it better and I am trying to, that’s part of the reason why I’m here.” He explains.

“You think that showing up here, unannounced in the middle of the night and saying you’re sorry is going to magically fix things? Get out. I don’t want to hear it, it’s too late.” You step aside, clearing his path between Caleb and the front door.

“Come on now, sweat pea, you’re in danger. You need to hear me out.” Caleb argues as he tries to once again reach out for you.

“York City is safer than whatever hole you obviously crawled out of, Mr. Brewster.” You answered with an icy tone.

“[Y/N], please I am beggin’ ya. I know I hurt ya bad in the past, but I need you to listen to me. You are not safe, there is a very dangerous man after you.” He pleads.

“What are you talking about? Why would anyone come after me? I’m not important, I’m just a tavern girl.” You shot back, not believing a word that was coming out of Caleb’s mouth.

Caleb took a large step towards you, holding onto your arm he whispers into your ear, “I’m a lieutenant in the Continental army, on a special assignment under Ben Tallmadge.” He starts to explain, but you can’t help but to roll your eyes at the mention of Ben, if both he and Caleb were involved, God only knows what mess they had gotten themselves into.

“Your name has come up in a few intelligence reports…” He continued.

“Intelligence reports with my name? Why would my name in any sort of report?” You interrupt, shaking your head at his terrible attempt at justifying his appearance.

“Because, sweet pea, there’s a man who has started to show interest in you, hasn’t there?” He questions you, but already knowing the answer.

“So there it is. The real reason you’re here, Caleb. You’ve found out that a man has shown interest in me and you’re here with your fabricated lies to cover for your jealousy.” You answer, pushing Caleb away from you. “You had your chance, Caleb.”

“For Christ’s sake, woman. Will you just let me finish without interruptin’?”

You turn away from Caleb, not wanting to look at him anymore and walk towards the living room. You were becoming not only physically exhausted, but emotionally exhausted as well, seeing Caleb and opening up all of your old scars was taking its toll. All you wanted now was to sleep and not deal with whatever problems Caleb was trying to dump on your doorstep. To say that you had run out of patience would be putting it very lightly.

This was not how you wanted your night to end. Your night had been so promising, you had finally found the courage to ask John about the Rangers he had following you. The encounter afterwards was even better than you had thought, you were confident and held your own with John. He wasn’t as terrible as everyone had claimed, yes his methods could be considered overkill, but he was still kind and respectful towards you.

“No, whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it and I want no part of it. I am perfectly capable of handling myself. The only thing I want from you, Caleb, is to get out of my home and to never speak to me again.” You replied, letting a bit more of your anger out.

“Stop bein’ so damn stubborn and listen to me. I am here because I am worried about ya, alright? I wanna keep you safe.” Caleb answered as he caught up with you.

You couldn’t help but laugh and shake your head at his statement. His concern for you, you rolled your eyes at the thought. After everything he put you through, for Caleb to march back in, or in this case probably break back into your life feigning concern just when you were starting to feel like you were finally starting to properly move on with your life, it was unfair. You were the one left to deal with the consequences not him, and now he stands before you spouting words about how sorry and concerned he is. You clench your fists; you can feel your nails digging into the flesh of your palms as you attempt to keep yourself together.

“Empty words and empty promises, Caleb. That’s all you’re good for.” You snap at him, walking further into the living room. Sitting down in your father’s armchair, closing your eyes as you rub your temples, trying to ease the headache that this encounter was giving you. You open your eyes to see Caleb standing in front of you, you try looking past him trying to wake up from whatever terrible dream this had to be that would bring Caleb to you.

He kneels in front you, pulling one of your hands away from your face so that he can hold it.

“Sweet Pea, it doesn’t have to be like this between us. Please, just hear me out and then you can scream and holler at me all you want.” He pleads you with.

You shake your head, “fine, if it’ll get you out of my house faster,” you respond as Caleb breathes a sigh of relief.

“Ben received intelligence from one of his operatives inside the city. This operative mentioned that a man named John Simcoe seemed to have taken an interest in you. Is that true? Has he tried courting you?”

“In a way, I suppose. He has shown interest, but I am not sure of his intentions.” You shake your head, catching yourself before you tell Caleb too much. “Why does it matter? We’re not together and I am free to associate with whomever I’d like.”

“It matters because he’s a dangerous man, [Y/N]. He has done terrible things, you need to stay away from him.”

You slowly pull your hand out of Caleb’s, letting it hover near his bearded cheek for a moment.

“No,” you reply. “John may very well be…unconventional in his tactics, but aren’t we in the middle of a war? Wouldn’t the British consider you to be dangerous? Haven’t you done terrible things? Besides, John has only ever been respectful towards me.”

Caleb scoffs as he hears you refer to Simcoe by his given name.

“[Y/N], please be reasonable. I swear I am not sayin’ this out of jealousy, I’m tellin’ you this because I’m worried about your wellbeing, love. That man is nothin’ but trouble, you and your family need to stay far away from him.”

You push Caleb away from you, you watch as he stares up at you from the floor.

“How dare you, you come in here with your lies and have the nerve to tell me how to live my life.”

“Love, I’m not lyin’. I could tell you everything horrible thing he’s done to us, to our home, to…” Caleb starts

“That’s not what I’m talking about, Caleb. Your lies about caring about me.” The tears you had managed to hold back started to fall down your cheeks. You angrily wiped them away, feeling ashamed that you let Caleb get to you like this.

Caleb sat up, confused and unsure of how to continue. He knew he wanted to comfort you that you deserved to be comforted. He wanted to make sure that you were always safe and protected, but now seeing you sit in that old armchair trying to hide your tears from him, Caleb wasn’t sure if he had it in him to do anything, everything he seemed to do just made things worse.

“You left me all alone to deal with the consequences, Caleb. Do you know how cruel people can be? How quickly those who were once considered friends turned their backs on me? Or called me a whore to my face? No, I suppose you don’t, because you were off having adventures off in Greenland or God knows where else.” You said, staring him down as you let all your pent up anger and hurt out.

“I’m sorry, [Y/N]. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity I had to take it. I thought you would wait for me, that you’d be there when I came home.” He tried to reason with you.

“Like a loyal dog, waiting for it’s master to return?”

“That’s not what I meant, love, and you know it. Stop being cruel.” Caleb gets up from the floor and sits in the armchair across from you.

“No, Caleb, what is cruel was having to listen to our friends and neighbors whisper behind my back. Or hearing things such as,” You continue speaking in a mocking tone, “’Well, that’s what she gets for laying with the Brewster boy. What a harlot. I thought her parents raised her better than that.’” You return to your normal speaking voice, “But yes, I suppose I was cruel for not waiting for you to come home.”

Caleb just sits across from you, feeling ashamed that his actions you to suffer alone like that. You’re no longer looking at him; instead you stare into the fire watching the flames dance. Caleb opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off continuing your story.

“I honestly don’t know what was worse, their cruel words or their fake sympathy after.”

“What do you mean after?” Caleb asks feeling confused, like he’s missed an important detail of the story.

“After I gave birth, our son…” You voice gets smaller, less angry but far more heartbroken.

“I have a son? Is he upstairs? Can I meet him? I know it’s late, but who knows if I’ll ever get another chance. Wait, why didn’t your parents tell me?” Caleb continues to throw what feels like a thousand questions at you, not allowing you to answer before throwing another one. Caleb bounces to his feet, about to run towards the staircase. You stop him by grabbing his arm, holding him back and putting a stop to the questions.

“Sit down, Caleb. Please.” You ask, looking up at him knowing that you were about to break his heart. The two of you sit in silence for a few moments as you tried to collect your thoughts and tried to form them into words.

“Our son, Gabriel, he only lived for two months.” The tears start to blur your vision, but you can still see Caleb, he sits across from you holding his head in his hands. “Afterwards, people still whispered cruel things about me, but some of them were replaced with forced condolences, or telling me that it was better for me this way. I could live my life without the constant reminder of my shame following me around.”

After you finish speaking, the only sound in the room is the sound of the slowly dying fire, neither of you sure of what to say to each other. You had just broken Caleb, just as he had broken you when he left.

You reach up to the locket around your neck, squeezing it in your left hand as you close your eyes, imagining your little boy and what he would look like today. You had always hoped that he would have Caleb’s dark curls and his bright smile. You picture this little boy, your little angel, running around while you happily chase after him. You smile at this thought, but heartbroken that it will always remain nothing more than a painful daydream.

You wipe the tears from your eyes as you look over at Caleb; he’s slouching in his chair. His normally bright and vibrant personality are gone, the only way you can describe how he looks is to say he looks defeated.

“I know I keep sayin’ it, but I am truly sorry, [Y/N]. I had no idea you went through all of that by yourself. I wish I had known.”

“It’s my fault, Caleb. You were really never one to think of the consequences of your actions, I should have realized it sooner. Maybe all of this could have been avoided if I did.”

Caleb gets out of his chair and once again kneels before you.

“If I had any idea that you were carryin’ my child, I never would have left. I would’ve stayed and made things right.”

“What’s done is done, Caleb. There is no point in living and constantly wondering ‘what if’. That’s no way to live.” You lift his chin so that you can look into each other’s eyes, “we both have to learn to live with our scars and allow them to make us stronger.”

Caleb rests his head in your lap, there was still a part of you that wanted to push him away and never forgive him for all the pain he caused you. Instead, you run your fingers through his dark curls, listening to his quiet cries and whispers of apologies into your skirts. You had carried the anger and hurt for far too long, it was time to take your own advice and live with your scars.

There was a moment in your life when you thought the man sitting before you was going to be the person you would spend the rest of your life with. You used to be able to imagine that life clear as day, you could see yours and Caleb’s faces happily weathered by a life well lived, sitting in a home surrounded by your children and grandchildren celebrating some future holiday. As much as you once ached for that life, it was gone and nothing would ever be able bring it back. Now when you tried to imagine that life, it was no longer Caleb sitting beside you and the children surrounding you no longer shared his bright smile.


End file.
